Butchering processes for meat products

ABSTRACT

A method for mass-production butchering of a beef chuck roll includes locating an anterior side and a posterior side of the chuck roll, and making a first series of cuts into the chuck roll along lines not intersecting the anterior and posterior sides. The first series of cuts form a first set of separate beef portions with increasing weights from initial to final cuts in the first series. The method also includes making a second series of cuts into the chuck roll along lines not intersecting the anterior and posterior sides to form a second set of separate beef portions.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The benefits of Provisional Application No. 60/668,606 filed Apr. 6,2005 and entitled “Butchering Processes for Meat Products” are claimedunder 35 U.S.C. § 119(e), and the entire contents of this provisionalapplication are expressly incorporated herein by reference thereto.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a butchering process for meat products. Moreparticularly, the invention relates to a butchering process for thechuck portion of a beef carcass.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In the United States, the organized grading of cattle and beef hasbecome particularly important in the promotion and marketing of qualityproducts. Administered by the United States Department of Agriculture,the grading system is used to assign a distinct level of quality tocattle carcasses.

Carcass beef grades include a “yield grade” and a “quality grade.” Theyield grade, denoted by the numbers 1 through 5, generally refers to thedegree of cutability of the carcass and serves as an indicator of theamount of closely trimmed (½ inch fat or less), boneless retail cutsexpected to be derived from the major wholesale cuts of the carcass.“Yield Grade 1” represents the highest degree of cutability. The qualitygrade, on the other hand, separately indicates the palatability of thelean. Carcasses of steers and heifers may be graded as Prime, Choice,Select, Standard, Commercial, Utility, Cutter, and Canner, in descendingorder of quality; carcasses of cows may receive any of these gradesexcept Prime. Bullock carcasses may be graded as Prime, Choice, Select,Standard, and Utility. Steers are considered male bovines castrated whenyoung and which have not begun to develop the secondary physicalcharacteristics of bulls, while heifers are considered young, such asless than 3 year old immature female bovines that have not developed thephysical characteristics typical of cows, e.g., have not borne a calf.Cows are considered female bovines that have developed throughreproduction or with age, the physical characteristics typical of maturefemales, and bullocks are considered young, such as under approximately24 months of age, male bovines that have developed or begun to developthe secondary physical characteristics of bulls.

The highest quality grade, USDA Prime, is reserved for beef withabundant marbling (defined as flecks of fat within the lean muscle),thus providing a juicy and flavorful meat that also is tender. USDAPrime, for example, may have more than 8% intramuscular fat. Only asmall percent of all graded carcass beef qualifies as USDA Prime. Aswould be expected, Prime beef is favored by hotels and restaurants, is asuccessful commercial export product from the United States, and also isavailable through retail sales to discriminating consumers. Because itrepresents the highest quality, beef certified as USDA Prime commandsthe highest prices in the market.

The carcass typically refers to both sides of the animal, whereas a siderefers to half of the carcass including both a frontquarter and ahindquarter. From the standpoint of profitability the hindquarter cutsof the carcass, which represent about half of a side of a beef carcass,traditionally have been greatest in demand. In particular, thehindquarter includes the full loin with the short loin and sirloin, theround, flank, and kidney knob. Thus, the hindquarter is the source ofthe well known beef cuts including the top loin steak, T-bone steak,porterhouse steak, tenderloin roast or steak (such as chateaubriand orfilet mignon), top sirloin steak, sirloin steak, tenderloin roast orsteak, beef tri-tip, round steak, top round roast or steak, and rumproasts.

The frontquarter, which represents the other half of a side of a beefcarcass, includes the chuck, rib, plate, brisket and shank. Productstypically produced from the frontquarter include cuts such as the ribroast or steak, rib eye roast or steak, back ribs, skirt steak, andwhole brisket. The chuck, although used for such cuts as a pot roast(chuck roast), is not considered to be among the wholesale cuts that ismost profitable and in demand. Beef from the chuck typically istransformed into lower cost ground beef chuck for example for use inproducing ground beef chuck patties.

Once a carcass has been graded as Prime, each of the cuts from thecarcass retain that designation. Thus, cuts from both the frontquarterand hindquarter are graded Prime, including the less profitable Primechuck. There exists a need to make use of the chuck to produce steaksinstead of simply being used as roasts or being ground into ground beefchuck. Moreover, there exists a need to make use of the Prime chuck toproduce Prime steaks instead of simply being ground into Prime groundbeef chuck. Because of the demand for the more costly cuts of Primebeef—which for example restaurants and hotels prefer to offer tocustomers—the ability to make use of Prime chuck for steaks may lead toenhanced profitability derived from this portion of the carcass. Therehas been substantial industry interest in enhancing the value of thefrontquarter. For example, scientists from the University of Nebraskaand the University of Florida even conducted a study for the Cattlemen'sBeef Board and analyzed more than 5,500 muscles of the beef chuck andround to assist in developing new beef products. Commercialization ofthe flat iron steak, a shoulder top blade steak cut from the chuck, issaid to have resulted from the study. Nevertheless, the chuck is complexbecause of the number of muscles and associated fibers that do not runin the same direction as each other. Thus, despite the efforts to dateas described above, there remains a need for additional methods ofproducing products from the chuck.

The “fabrication” of the beef carcasses is conducted in mass-productionoperations by beef packers, who harvest finished cattle purchased fromfeedlots and create primal, subprimal, and sometimes consumer-readycuts. The beef then is distributed to purveyors/processors or retailersfor further sale. Thus, there is a need for additional methods ofproducing products from the chuck for use in the mass-productionoperations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a method for mass-production butchering of abeef chuck roll including: locating the anterior side and posterior sideof the chuck roll; making a first series of cuts into the chuck rollalong lines not intersecting the anterior and posterior sides to form afirst set of separate beef portions with increasing weights from initialto final cuts in the first series, each beef portion having a thicknessno greater than 1 inch; making a second series of cuts into the chuckroll along lines not intersecting the anterior and posterior sides toform a second set of separate beef portions each having a thicknessgreater than the thicknesses of the beef portions in the first set.

The separate beef portions in the second set each may have a seam ofintramuscular fat, and the method further may include further cuttingeach of the beef portions in the second set proximate the seam toseparate each beef portion into two subportions. The method also mayinclude removing waste from at least one of the beef portions in thesecond set so that each of the subportions weighs between 8 oz. and 16oz. In some embodiments, sinue is removed from at least one of thesubportions.

As much as ¾ of the chuck roll may be cut in the first and second seriesleaving a remaining portion of at least ¼ of the chuck roll. Theremaining portion may be cut into a plurality of portions. Each of theplurality of portions of the remaining portion may be sized for use as apot roast or for use in beef stew. In addition, the method may includeremoving waste from the first set of beef portions so that each portionweighs between 8 oz. and 16 oz. Fat may be removed from at least one ofthe beef portions. Furthermore, the method may include aging the beefportions.

In some embodiments, the chuck roll includes abundant marbling.

The invention also relates to a method for mass-production butchering ofa beef chuck roll comprising: locating the anterior side and posteriorside of the chuck roll; making a first series of cuts into the chuckroll along lines not intersecting the anterior and posterior sides toform a first set of separate beef portions with increasing weights frominitial to final cuts in the first series, each beef portion having athickness between 1 inch and 2 inches; making a second series of cutsinto the chuck roll along lines not intersecting the anterior andposterior sides to form a second set of separate beef portions.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Preferred features of the present invention are disclosed in theaccompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a beef chuck roll for use with thepresent invention; and

FIG. 2 is a front view of a beef portion in the second set of beefportions cut from the chuck roll of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The chuck is generally the shoulder region of the animal, and includespart of the neck and backbone, the first five ribs (U.S.packer/processors typically make the chuck/rib break between the 5th and6th ribs), as well as portions of the shoulder blade and upper arm. Itcan weigh over 100 lbs.

Among the cuts derived from the chuck is the chuck roll, which is formedof muscle, fat, and connective tissue and typically weighs between 13and 21 lbs. In particular, a beef chuck roll may be a generally oblongboneless portion of beef that is derived from a neck off bonelesssquare-cut chuck (square blade chuck). The chuck roll may be producedfrom the upper portion of the chuck. In one preferred exemplaryembodiment, the chuck roll includes the large muscle system that liesbeneath the blade bone. The muscle system may be formed of thelongissimus dorsi, rhomboideus, spinalis dorsi, complexus, multifidusdorsi, serratus ventralis, subscapularis and splenius. The chuck rollmay not include the arm portion, which may be removed by a straight cutfor example that is between 0 inch and 3 inches ventral from thelongissimus dorsi at the rib end and between 0 inch and 4 inches fromthe complexus at the neck end. Also removed from the chuck roll may beany cartilages, bone chips, backstrap, trapezium, supraspinatus,intercostal meat (rib fingers), and prescapular lymph gland along withsurrounding fat, blood clots, and dark discolored tissue. In alternateexemplary embodiments, the beef chuck roll may be a bone-in cut thatincludes portions of the blade bone, arm bone and/or backbone.

The chuck roll includes (1) a dorsal side, e.g., located toward the backof the animal, (2) a ventral side, e.g., located toward the belly/bottomof the animal, (3) an anterior side, e.g., toward the front or cranialend of the animal, and (4) a posterior side, e.g., located toward therear or caudal end of the animal.

In a first exemplary method for butchering a beef chuck roll 10according to the present invention, suitable for example for use inmass-production butchering, the anterior side or front 12 and posteriorside or back 14 of a chuck roll are initially identified. Next, a firstseries of cuts are made into the chuck roll along lines 16 notintersecting the anterior and posterior sides to form a first set ofseparate beef portions 18. Preferably, the first series of cuts are madeso that each successive beef portion 18 a, 18 b, 18 c has increasingweight. Moreover, in one preferred exemplary embodiment each beefportion 18 a, 18 b, 18 c has a thickness no greater than 1 inch. In oneexemplary embodiment, each beef portion 18 a, 18 b, 18 c is about ¾ inchin thickness, as indicated for example by T1 in FIG. 1. In an alternateexemplary embodiment, each beef portion 18 a, 18 b, 18 c has a thicknessbetween 1 inch and 2 inches.

Next, a second series of cuts are made into the chuck roll along lines20 not intersecting the anterior and posterior sides 12, 14,respectively, to form a second set of separate beef portions 22. In onepreferred exemplary exmbodiment, each of the beef portions in the secondset has a thickness greater than the thicknesses of the beef portions inthe first set. As shown in FIG. 2, the separate beef portions 22 a, 22b, 22 c in the second set may each comprise a seam of intramuscular fat24. Thus, one or more of the beef portions 22 a, 22 b, 22 c in thesecond set may further be cut proximate the seam to separate each beefportion into two subportions 26, 28. In addition, waste may be removedfrom at least one of the beef portions in the second set, such asproximate region 30 which may be more tough than desired for use insteaks, so that each of the subportions 26, 28 weighs between 8 oz. and16 oz. In one exemplary embodiment, each beef portion 22 a, 22 b, 22 cis about 1¼ inch in thickness, as indicated for example by T2 in FIG. 1.The method may further include removing the sinue from at least one ofthe subportions 26, 28.

In the exemplary preferred embodiment, as much as ¾ of the chuck roll iscut in the first and second series leaving a remaining portion 30 of atleast ¼ of the chuck roll. Remaining portion 30 may be further cut intotwo or more portions, for example proximate the middle thereof from theanterior side 12 to the posterior side 14, thus forming sectionssuitable for use as pot roasts. Remaining portion 30 also may besectioned into portions sized for use in beef stew. In some embodiments,remaining portion 30 is not further sectioned, but instead for examplemay be tied to form a larger pot roast.

In some instances, waste such as undesired muscle, fat, and/orconnective tissue is removed from the first set of beef portions 18 sothat each portion 18 a, 18 b, 18 c weighs between 8 oz. and 16 oz. Also,fat may be removed from at least one of the beef portions of either set18 or 22.

It should be noted that although each of sets 18, 22 is shown with threeportions 16, 20, respectively, this example is non-limiting. Thus,depending on the size of chuck roll 10, other numbers of portions 16, 20may be cut, such as more than three or less than three portions ineither or both of sets 18, 22.

Preferably, chuck roll 10 has abundant marbling and is graded Prime, sothat the portions of beef from chuck roll 10 also may be considered asPrime. Also, in preferred embodiments, the portions of beef cut fromchuck roll 10 are aged.

In another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, other parts ofa chuck are contemplated for use in producing steaks. For example, theneck off the arm chuck also may be used with the “bone in.” Large beefportions or steaks from 14 oz. to 22 oz., and more preferably 16 oz. to20 oz., are contemplated. Also, the shoulder portion of the chuck may beused for example for minute steaks, sandwich steaks, fry steaks, andsteak on a bun. Beef portions of 3 oz. to 4 oz. are contemplated fromthe shoulder portion.

While various descriptions of the present invention are described above,it should be understood that the various features can be used singly orin any combination thereof. Therefore, this invention is not to belimited to only the specifically preferred embodiments depicted herein.

Further, it should be understood that variations and modificationswithin the spirit and scope of the invention may occur to those skilledin the art to which the invention pertains. Accordingly, all expedientmodifications readily attainable by one versed in the art from thedisclosure set forth herein that are within the scope and spirit of thepresent invention are to be included as further embodiments of thepresent invention. The scope of the present invention is accordinglydefined as set forth in the appended claims.

1. A method for mass-production butchering of a chuck roll of beefcomprising: locating an anterior side and a posterior side of the chuckroll; making a first series of cuts into the chuck roll along lines notintersecting the anterior and posterior sides to form a first set ofseparate beef portions with increasing weights from initial to finalcuts in the first series, each beef portion having a thickness nogreater than 1 inch; making a second series of cuts into the chuck rollalong lines not intersecting the anterior and posterior sides to form asecond set of separate beef portions each having a thickness greaterthan the thicknesses of the beef portions in the first set.
 2. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the separate beef portions in the second seteach comprise a seam of intramuscular fat, the method further comprisingfurther cutting each of the beef portions in the second set proximatethe seam to separate each beef portion into two subportions.
 3. Themethod of claim 2, removing waste from at least one of the beef portionsin the second set so that each of the subportions weighs between 8 oz.and 16 oz.
 4. The method of claim 2, further comprising removing thesinue from at least one of the subportions.
 5. The method of claim 2,wherein as much as ¾ of the chuck roll is cut in the first and secondseries leaving a remaining portion of at least ¼ of the chuck roll. 6.The method of claim 5, further comprising cutting the remaining portioninto a plurality of portions.
 7. The method of claim 6, wherein each ofthe plurality of portions of the remaining portion is sized for use as apot roast.
 8. The method of claim 6, wherein each of the plurality ofportions of the remaining portion is sized for use in beef stew.
 9. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising removing waste from the first setof beef portions so that each portion weighs between 8 oz. and 16 oz.10. The method of claim 1, wherein the chuck roll comprises abundantmarbling.
 11. The method of claim 1, further comprising removing fatfrom at least one of the beef portions.
 12. The method of claim 1,further comprising aging the beef portions.
 13. A method formass-production butchering of a chuck roll of beef comprising: locatingan anterior side and a posterior side of the chuck roll; making a firstseries of cuts into the chuck roll along lines not intersecting theanterior and posterior sides to form a first set of separate beefportions with increasing weights from initial to final cuts in the firstseries, each beef portion having a thickness between 1 inch and 2inches; making a second series of cuts into the chuck roll along linesnot intersecting the anterior and posterior sides to form a second setof separate beef portions.
 14. The method of claim 13, wherein at leastone of the separate beef portions in the second set comprises a seam ofintramuscular fat, the method further comprising further cutting the atleast one of the separate beef portions in the second set proximate theseam to separate the beef portion into two subportions.
 15. The methodof claim 14, removing waste from at least one of the beef portions inthe second set so that each of the subportions weighs between 8 oz. and16 oz.
 16. The method of claim 14, further comprising removing the sinuefrom at least one of the subportions.
 17. The method of claim 14,wherein as much as ¾ of the chuck roll is cut in the first and secondseries leaving a remaining portion of at least ¼ of the chuck roll. 18.The method of claim 17, further comprising cutting the remaining portioninto a plurality of portions.
 19. The method of claim 18, wherein eachof the plurality of portions of the remaining portion is sized for useas a pot roast.
 20. The method of claim 18, wherein each of theplurality of portions of the remaining portion is sized for use in beefstew.
 21. The method of claim 13, wherein the chuck roll comprisesabundant marbling.
 22. The method of claim 13, further comprisingremoving fat from at least one of the beef portions.
 23. The method ofclaim 13, further comprising aging the beef portions.